Carbon dots from green sources as efficient sensor and as anticancer agent

This work reports the synthesis of novel fluorescent carbon dots (CD) from green sources via the hydrothermal method for detecting the antibiotic doxycycline. The blue fluorescent carbon dots with an average diameter of 2.64 nm exhibited outstanding stability towards different experimental conditions. The sensing of doxycycline by CDs is due to its fluorescent quenching through the inner filter effect (IFE), which served as the basis for its quantification. In addition, these carbon dots were employed for practical applications like the detection of doxycycline residues in real water samples, and tablets. Moreover, a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with CDs exhibited as a novel electrochemical sensor for doxycycline with a detection limit of 2.86 nM. Also, the anticancer activity of CDs against MCF-7 breast cancer cells is demonstrated. The developed carbon dots have remarkable potential as a dual sensor for the antibiotic doxycycline and anticancer applications.